Intermittent grip device.



R. D. TITTLR INTEBMITTENT GRIP DEVICE. APPLIMTION FILED MAB. 9. 190s.

938,727 Patented Nov. 2, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BEUBEN D. TrrTLn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Intermittent GripDevices, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings.

rIhis invention relates to pawl and ratchet mechanism and is designedmore in particular for converting` reciprocating motion into rotarymotion.

The object of the invention is to provide such a mechanism in which astroke of maximum length can be secured without the mechanism becominglocked at a dead center; in which the power exerted upon the pawls willbe substantially the same at all times, thereby exerting the maximumpower upon the rotary member at all points of the movement of the pawls;and further, to so construct the mechanism that it will be strong anddurable and simple in operation and will be provided with ample.safeguards against injury to the operator.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of amechanism embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same;Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line m of Fig. 2;Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the two part ratchet wheel;and Fig. 5 is a detail view of a modification.

In these drawings preferred form of my invention, which form isparticularly designed to operatively connect a clothes wringer to themotor on a washing machine. As here shown, the rotary member consists ofa rotary shaft 1 having mounted thereon a suitable pinion, which, in thepresent instance, consists of a ratchet wheel having two parts, 2 and 3,the teeth of the two parts extending in the same direction and bothparts being rigidly secured to the shaft, thereby making in effect asingle ratchet wheel. rIhe adjacent ends of the portions 2 and 3 of theratchet wheel are spaced some distance apart and upon that portion ofthe shaft 1 lying between the adjacent ends of the parts 2 and 3 thereare journaled two levers 4 and 5, each lever being provided with aprojecting portion 6 and 7 extending over the portions 2 and 3,respectively, of the ratchet wheel and located on opposite sides of theshaft 1. Each INTERIMITTENT GRIP DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

I have illustrated the l UNITED STATFAIATENT OFFICE.

REUBEN D. TITTLE, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

Patented Nav. 2, 1909.

Application led March 9, 1908. VSerial No. 419,847.

of the projections 6 and 7 has mounted therein one or morespring-pressed pawls 8 and 9, respectively, facing in oppositedirections. The outer ends of the levers 4 and 5 are pivotally connectedto a suitable pitman or actuating rod 10 which is provided at one endwith means for connecting the same to the piston rod of a reciprocatingmotor, as shown at 11, and having its other end slidably connected tothe rotary shaft 1. In the present instance, the end adjacent to theshaft 1 is provided with an elongated slot 12 which fits over the end ofthe shaft 1 which forms a 'guide for the adjacent end of the rod 10.

The connection between the levers 4 and 5 and the rod 1() is preferablya sliding one, and, in the form here shown, the levers 4 and 5 areprovided with elongated slots 13 and 14 adapted to be engaged bysuitable pins or stud shafts 15 and 16 mounted on the l rod 10 andforming a movable fulcrum for the levers. These pins are preferablymounted on projections 22 carried by the actuating rod 10 and arrangedon the opposite sides thereof.v The projections 22 extend across theslots in the levers 4 and 5, respectively, and have their edges inclinedin opposite directions or diverging toward the actuating rod. Theinclined edges of the projections move along the slots in the levers tand form guards which tend to prevent the are being handled and beingpinched from entering the slots between the pins and the ends of theslots. The length of the slot 12 and of the slots 13 and 14 issuch thatthe cooperating parts, such as the shaft 1 and the pins 15 and 16, donot at any time during the stroke of the pitman or actuating rod 10 comeinto contact with the ends of said slots, and, consequently, there is nopossi- 7 bility of injury to the operator by the operation of theseparts, and, as a further safei guard, the projections 6 and 7 areprovided with wings 17 and 18, which, at their point of connection tosaid projections are of a width substantially equal to the width of saidprojection and are of such a length that t when the projections are intheir open position, a'. e., the position in which they are separatedfarthest, one from the other, the adjacent ends of the-wings 17 and 18will overlap. Consequently, it is impossible for the operator to bepinched by the closing together of the two projections as the wings 17fingers of the operator or the clothes which 9() 1 and 18 serve asguards which prevent either the lingers or clothing of the operatorfroi'n being inserted between these parts. .These wings are preferablycast integral with the projections 6 and 7, and, in the preferred form,are tapered from their point of connection with the projections to theiropposite ends, as shown in Fig. 3.

The operation ofthe device will be readily apparent from the foregoingdescription and it Will be seen that when the arts are in the positionshown in Fig. lV andJ the pitman l0 is moved forwardly or toward therotary shaft l, the levers t and 5 will be moved about their pivotalcenters andthe pawls 9 of the lever 5 caused to engage the teeth of theratchet wheel and thus rotate the shaft l throughout substantially ahalf revolution and that during the movement of the lever 5 about itspivotal center, thefulcrum point will constantly change so that it is atthe shortest distance from the shaft l when the lever extendssubstantially vertically above the shaft l and the pull thereon issubstantialll a straight pull.` As the lever moves rom this verticalposition and the pull thereon is exerted at more and more of an angle,the distance of the fulcrum from the shaft and, therefore, the amount ofleverage exerted upon the ratchet wheel, is constantly increased and theincrease of this leverage is such as to mainextremity direction as itwas rotated by tain the leverage upon the rotary saine atl all points ofthe movement of the lever. When the pitman reaches the outer 'of itsmovement and be ins its rearwar lmovement, the pawls 9 oft e lever 5will ride over the teeth of the ratchet Wheeland the pawls 8 of thelever Ll will engage the teeth of the adjacent portion of the ratchetwheel on the Vopposite side of the or power which is exerted shaftY land by the rearward movement of the pitman will rotate the shaft in thesame the forward movement thereof.

The arrangement of the levers carrying the pawls being such that it ispractically impossible for the same to reach a dead center, it will beapparent that practically a complete revolution of the rotary member canbe vsecured for each complete reciprocation of the pitman; further, itwill be apparent that the power exerted upon the rotary member is, asabove described, substantially the same at all points during themovement of the pawls; and further, that the device is so safe-guardedthat injury to the operator, or any other person who maybe near, ispractically impossible, thereby making the device one peculiarly adaptedfor domestic use, suoli as its application to a clothes wringer, whichwringer may be operated from the motor which actuates the washingmachine.

shaftV 1 substantially theV I wish it to be understood that I do notdesire' to be limited to the exact details of construction shown anddescribed, for obvious modications will occur to a Vperson skilled inthe art. the drawings I have shown a modified form of the ratchet andits engaging pawl. In this form each ratchet wheel has its teeth formedin the lateral face thereof, as shown at 19, while the cooperating leveris provided with one or more apertures 20 extending through the same atan angle to the shaft 1 upon which the lever is mounted. In thisinclined aperture is mounted a spring-pressed dog or pawl 2l adapted toengage the teeth 19 on vthe lateral face of the ratchet wheel, both theratchet teeth and the pawl being so inclined that when the lever ismoved in one direction, the pavvl will engage the teeth, and, when thelever is` moved in the opposite direction, the pawl will ride over theteeth.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a device of the character described,y

the combination, with a rotary shaft, a ratchet mounted on said shaft,levers mounted on said shaft near said ratchet, each of said levershaving a longitudinal slot near one end thereof, a projection carried byeach of said levers and extending' over said ratchet, and pawls carriedby said projections and arranged to engage'the ratchet on opposite sidesof the shaft, of an actuating rod having a g'uideway adapted Vto engagesaid shaft to form a support therefor, and Y pins carried by saidactuatingrod on oppo-VV guideway and adapted toKY site sides of saidengage the slotted ends of said levers.

2. In a device of the character described,

the combination, with a rotary shaft, ratchets mounted Von said shaft,levers mounted on said shaft near said i'atchets, each of said levershaving a longitudinal slot near one end thereof, a projection carried byeach of said levers extending over the adjacent ratchet, and saidprojections and arranged to engage the respective ratchets on oppositesides of said Ypivotally shaft, of anv actuating rod having a guidewayadapted to engage said shaft and forni a support therefor, and pinscarried by said actuating rod on opposite sides of said guideway andadapted to engage the slotted ends of said levers.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination,

with a rotary shaft, a pair pawls carried by Y of ratchets mounted onsaid shaft and spaced a short distance apart, a pair of levers pivotallymounted on said shaft between said ratchets, each of said levers havinga longi-v tudinal slot near one end thereof, a pr`0jectionV carried byeachvof said levers and extending over the adjacent ratchets, pawlscarried by said projections and arranged toy ngage the respective1atchets on the oppoite sides of said shaft, of an actuating rod iavinga guideway adapted to engage said lhaft and form a support therefor, andpins carried by said actuating rod on opposite sides of said guidewayand adapted to engage the slotted ends of said levers.

4. In a device of the character described, a rotary shaft, ratchetwheels mounted on said shaft, pair of levers pivotally mounted on saidshaft and extending on opposite sides thereof, pawls mounted on saidlevers and adapted to engage said ratchet wheels, means for moving saidlevers about their pivotal centers, and guards carried by said leversfor closing the space between the same.

In a device of the character described, a rotary shaft, a ratchet wheelmounted on said shaft, a pair of levers pivotally mounted on said shaftand extending on opposite sides thereof, pawls carried by said levers,an actuating rod, means for slidably connecting the outer ends of saidlevers to said actuating rod, and guards carried by said levers forclosing the space between the same.

G. In a device of the character described, a rotary shaft, a ratchetwheel mounted on said shaft, a pair of levers pivotally mounted on saidshaft extending on opposite sides thereof, radial projec ions extendingfrom said levers, pawls mounted on said levers adapted to engage saidratchet wheel, means for moving said levers about their pivotal centers,and wings extending from the adjacent side of each of said projections,said wings being of such a length that their ends overlap when saidprojections are spaced at the greatest distance one from the other.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of tvo witnesses.

REUBEN D. TITTLE.

Vitnesses A. C. LINK, EDWARD L. REED.

